HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team will play host to Saginaw Valley State University at 3:15 p.m. this Saturday in Regents Hall.
The Norse enter that non-conference game with a 7-4 record after posting a 91-76 win over Central State University on Dec. 10 in Regents Hall. In that game, Mike Kelsey scored 20 points and added six assists to lead NKU.
Kelsey connected on five three-point shots against Central State. The Norse built a 28-8 lead in the first half by hitting their first six attempts from three-point range.
A three-pointer by Kelsey with 3:38 remaining in the first half gave NKU a 45-25 lead, but Central State closed the first half with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 45-34 at the break. The Norse hit 7-of-14 three-point attempts before halftime and held Central State to just 39.4 percent shooting from the field during the first 20 minutes.
NKU started the second half with a 23-6 run to build a 68-40 lead. Kevin Schappell scored eight of his career-high 15 points to key the Norse spurt. Schappell also added four rebounds and three assists.
Kevin Reinhardt added 17 points for NKU, which made 50.7 percent of its shots from the field. Pat Cary scored 12 points for the Norse, and Sean Rowland added eight assists, four rebounds and two steals.
80 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: NKU is 5-0 this season when scoring at least 80 points. The Norse are 2-4 when scoring less than 80 points.
SHIELDS NEARS 300 CAREER WINS: NKU head coach Ken Shields enters Saturday’s game with 297 career victories. He is the Norse’s all-time career leader in wins.
MR. CONSISTENT: NKU junior guard Mike Kelsey has scored in double figures in 10 of his team’s 11 games this season. Kelsey leads NKU in scoring at 16.5 points per game, and he has connected on 33-of-71 three-point attempts.
Kelsey has scored 838 career points and ranks No. 33 on the NKU all-time scoring list.
REINHARDT’S STREAK: NKU freshman forward Kevin Reinhardt has scored in double figures in four straight games entering Saturday. For the season, Reinhardt averages 10.1 ppg.
FLOOR GENERAL: NKU point guard Sean Rowland leads NKU in assists with 49 (4.45 apg), and he has committed just 22 turnovers this season. Rowland - who ranks No. 4 in the GLVC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.23 - averages 3.7 ppg and 4.9 rebounds per game.
CARY HAS CAREER GAME: NKU junior center Pat Cary scored a season-high 12 points against Central State on Dec. 10. For the season, Cary averages 4.2 ppg.
ABOUT SAGINAW VALLEY STATE: The Cardinals own a 6-3 record after suffering a 105-78 loss at Oakland (Mich.) University on Tuesday. Saginaw Valley State - which is a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - is led by junior forward Anthony Parker, who averages 18.7 ppg.
Senior guard Tim Fralick is scoring 17.1 ppg for the Cardinals, while senior forward Maurice Brown averages 16.4 ppg and a team-leading 11.8 rebounds per contest.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST SAGINAW VALLEY STATE: On Dec. 21, 1994, in the first round of the Rydell Classic at Grand Forks, N.D., LaRon Moore and Shaft Stevenson combined for 36 points as NKU held off Saginaw Valley State, 65-63. Moore scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, and Stevenson finished with 19 points.
The following night, NKU captured the Rydell Classic title with an 84-74 win over the University of North Dakota.
UP NEXT: NKU will play a road game at Wayne (Mich.) State University at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in Detroit, Mich. The Norse will play host to the College of Mount St. Joseph at 7:45 p.m. on Dec. 30 in Regents Hall. That game will also be “Hey-U Bobblehead Doll Night.”
The first 1,000 fans to enter Regents Hall on Dec. 30 will receive free bobblehead dolls of Hey-U the dragon, NKU’s mascot.
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Mike Kelsey |